Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

Wyn

What in the holy cockblock just happened?

As Kai stumbles away, mumbling his apologies, I level a scowl at Lucas, who is now standing in front of me, still wearing his robe, the deep hood pulled over his head, partially concealing his face.

He looks like a Sith Lord, cloaked in darkness, and maybe it's just the rum in my bloodstream, but seeing him like that makes my clit throb. Ever since my initiation, I've had a thing for the darker side of sex. A thing I've unsuccessfully tried to deny.

I gesture to Kai's retreating form. "What the fuck, Lucas? I was this close to getting some dick tonight."

Hatred flares in his eyes, and in the length of time it takes me to blink, he has me pushed up against the railing, one large hand wrapped around my throat, just below my jaw. "Two months," he grates out, his face nearly touching mine. "Gabriel has been gone for two fucking months and you're already whoring yourself out to the first cock that comes along?"

Fear spikes through me as I claw at his hand, trying to pry it free. I can breathe, but barely. With just a tiny bit more pressure, he could cut off my air supply completely.

Sheer panic compels me to reach up and claw at his face, just to get him to loosen his grip. With a hiss, he shoves me, and I cough, bending over to suck in several gulps of air.

"You can't even fucking pretend to grieve him," he spits at me, his words filled with pain and vitriol.

Okay, now I'm fucking angry.

Lucas wasn't there with me right after Gabriel died. He didn't witness the countless nights I cried myself to sleep, wondering what I could have done differently. Wondering how I could have stopped Gabriel from stepping in front of that train. But I wasn't there in those last moments. No one was.

Straightening, I step up to Lucas and shove my finger into his granite chest. "I've grieved more than you'll ever know," I bite out. "But I didn't die that day, Lucas. I deserve to live, and not even the campus king is going to tell me what to do."

Lucas steps forward, crowding me, his large body pinning me against the railing again. It's a show of force, a reminder that as much as I want to believe I'm the one in control, I'm not.

His cold blue eyes take me in, falling from my face to my cleavage. "You want to play the whore," he says, hatred dripping from every syllable. "But if anyone touches you, Wyn, I swear to God, you'll both regret it."

I swallow at the darkness in his voice. He's being territorial on behalf of his cousin. But his cousin is dead, and I'm a free woman.

Emboldened by the rum, I take his cock and balls in my hand, stroking the hard ridge of his erection through the fabric of his slacks. Two things surprise me. First, he's already hard. Rock hard. And second, he doesn't pull away. He doesn't even flinch.

"Who are you saving me for, hmm?" I ask, leaning forward. "Your cousin is gone, Lucas." I curl my fingers around his long, girthy shaft. His size is impressive, actually, and my core throbs. "And guys want to fuck me, so I'm going to let them."

I'm not, actually. It's a total bluff. Kai was a one-off. As soon as the rum wears off, I'll be back in my bed with my snacks, watching old serial killer documentaries, alone. But he doesn't need to know that. As far as he's concerned, I'll be whoring it up, and it gives me great joy letting him think that.

His gaze darkens and he grabs my wrist, pulling my hand off his cock, holding it suspended between us. His grip is tight, bordering on painful. "Fucking try it," he says angrily. "I'm serious, Wyn. I don't make idle threats."

I yank my wrist out of his grip. What the fuck? He never really talked to me when I was with Gabriel, and now, all of a sudden, he's the guardian of my fucking virtue?

Rubbing my wrist, I narrow my gaze at him. "You really need therapy, Lucas," I say. "Look into it."

And with that last departing barb, I push past him and head back into the house. I consider flagging Kai back down, but I decide against it. Lucas is pretty pissed, and I don't want to make trouble for Kai. Lucas being a Sacred Son means he can ruin a life with one fucking text. And he's cruel enough to do it.

I'm suddenly tired as I weave through the crowd trying to find Alexis. I find her standing around, drinking, and laughing, and I tap her on the shoulder.

"Hey, I'm going to head home. You going to be okay?"

Alexis's expression instantly shifts from amusement to concern. "You okay?"

"Yeah," I say, shaking my head. "I'm just really tired, and I have class tomorrow."

"Ah, okay. Yeah, I'm good. I'll catch a ride with one of the other girls."

"Cool. I'll text you tomorrow," I say, leaving. I grab my phone from the basket and head back out onto the porch, so I can call a car to come pick me up. I just moved into a studio apartment, and it's a few blocks from campus, which is farther than I want to walk in heels. And I've been drinking, so I can't drive. I'll have to swing back and pick up my car in the morning.

"You leaving?" A deep baritone forces me to look up. It's Lucas' twin, Christian.

I glance around. Is he talking to me? I'm the only other person on the porch, so I guess he is.

"Yeah, I'm tired," I say vaguely.

He pulls his keys out of his pocket and holds them up. "Lucas wants me to take you home."

Lucas… what?

I turn to fully face him. "Listen, I don't know why your brother is suddenly so interested in my life, but I'm fine. I don't need a ride home. I've already called a car."

Goddamn. I'm a grown-ass-fucking-woman.

He walks past me, and down the front steps before turning around to face me. "Come on, let's go."

I shift my stance, hands on my hips. "Did you hear what I just said?"

"Yeah," he says impatiently. "But if I don't take you home, then I'm going to hear about it all fucking night. So—" He gestures to his ungodly expensive sports car, which is parked thirty feet away, right in front of the house. "—can we do this, please?"

"Have you been drinking?"

"Not yet, which is why I'm the one stuck doing this," he says, not even trying to sugarcoat his annoyance.

Perfect. That makes two of us.

Blowing out a breath, I follow him to his car. Whatever. It saves me the expense of hiring a car to take me home. I slide into the low bucket seat and shut the door.

As soon as we're on the road, I give Christian my address and cancel the car I'd just scheduled. Then I shove my phone into my purse. It's dark and Christian's car smells like perfume. The stale, awkward silence is unbearable.

"So, what the fuck is wrong with your brother?" I ask, staring out the passenger side window at the occasional halo created by the streetlights.

"What do you mean?"

I look over at him. It's so weird, being with Christian right after my exchange with Lucas. They're fraternal twins (allegedly), but they look exactly alike. The only difference is their hair.

"He's taking your cousin's death really hard," I say. "So much so that he's obsessing over my life like I still belong to Gabriel."

"Yeah," he says somberly. "Gabriel and Lucas were tight. Tighter than any of us, really." He glances over at me. "Well, you obviously know that."

Yeah, but Lucas hardly acknowledged me when Gabriel was alive. Occasionally, I'd get a "hey" with a chin flick, or a random question about something, but we never really hung out. The most time we ever spent together was when we rode around looking for Lux's missing friend Bree a few months ago. And even then, we spent the entire car ride in silence.

It's weird. I always got the vibe that Lucas didn't approve of Gabriel and me dating. Like he thought his cousin could do better or something.

"What I don't get is Lucas' sudden interest in me," I say, hedging.

We pull up in front of my place, and Christian kills the engine, turning to face me. Fuck, he's hot. He has his brother's ocean blue eyes, straight nose, and chiseled jaw. But there's an ever-present sense of amusement in Christian's expression that's completely absent from Lucas'. They may look alike, but their personalities couldn't be more different.

"I don't know what to tell you," he says. "Lucas is fucking weird sometimes."

Spoken like a true brother.

But when Christian's eyes shift away from me, I get the feeling there's something he's not telling me. Something that might explain Lucas' strange fascination with my sex life.

"What aren't you saying?" I ask.

He smacks his lips together and opens his car door. "Let's get you inside so I can get back and drink until I'm puking into my brother's hood," he says, ignoring my question.

Hauling myself out of his bucket seat, I slam his door shut just as he's coming around the front of the car.

"Thanks for the ride. My studio is right there." I point to the white door fifty feet in front of us. "So you don't need to walk me up."

With a nod, he folds his arms over his chest and leans against the car. "I'll wait until you get in."

Okay, whatever. Blowing out a breath, I head up the walkway. I pull out my keys and unlock my door, then turn back to wave at Christian. With a nod, he pushes off the car and slides back into the driver's seat.

Shutting the door behind me, I lock it, then sag against it.

"Holy fuck," I breathe. That whole evening was a lot, and I'm so exhausted, my limbs feel heavy.

Moving deeper into my micro apartment, I kick my heels off and flip the lights on. It smells nice in here. The second the room is illuminated I see why. It's hard to miss.

There, in the center of my bed, is a single flower, the thick white pedals contrasting sharply with my navy blue comforter.

It's a gardenia flower.

What the…?

That definitely wasn't there when I left this evening.